Curtain

ABSTRACT

A curtain includes a first rail, a second rail spaced apart from the first rail, a drape disposed between the first and second rails, at least one curtain control device and two cord guiding devices. The curtain control device is mounted on the first rail for folding upwardly and unfolding downwardly the drape, and includes two cords and a cord controlling unit that provides force for the cords. Each cord has a pull segment coupled to the second rail and extending through the first rail and the drape. The cord guiding devices are mounted on the first rail, each including a guiding wheel unit for the pull segments of each cord to wind thereover, and a guide rod for the pull segment of each cord to abut against.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 102203056, filed on Feb. 8, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a curtain, more particularly to a curtain that is foldable at any desirable position.

2. Description of the Related Art

Shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a conventional curtain 1 including a top rail 11, a bottom rail 12 distal from and parallel to the top rail 11, a drape 13 interconnecting the top rail 11 and the bottom rail 12, a curtain control device 2 for folding and unfolding the drape 13, and two guiding rod units 14 mounted to the top rail 11.

The curtain control device 2 includes two cord controlling units 21 mounted on the top rail 11 and meshed with each other, and four cords 22. Each of the cord controlling units 21 has two bracing wheels 211 engaged with each other, and an S-shaped elastic reel 212 wound around the bracing wheels 211. Each of the guiding rod units 14 has a rod holder 141 mounted on the top rail 11, and two guiding rods 142 mounted on the rod holder 141. Each of the cords 22 is wound around the respective bracing wheel 211 of the respective bracing unit 21, and has a pull segment 221. The cords 22 of each controlling unit 21 has the pull segments 221 thereof extending in opposite directions from the curtain control device 2 to two sides of the top rail 11 to pass over the respective guiding rods 142 and to extend downward through the drape 13 for coupling with the bottom rail 12. The elastic force of the elastic reel 212 of each of the controlling units 21 is counteracted by the total weight of the bottom rail 12 and the drape 13, such that the conventional curtain 1 is able to be pushed upward or pulled downward and stopped at any desirable position. However, because how to balance the aforementioned components is well-known and does not form any part of the current invention, it is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

Although the cords 22 are guided by the guiding rods 142 to maintain the drape 13 at a designated height, friction generated due to the direct abutment of the cords 22 against surfaces of the respective guiding rods 142 would likely hinder smooth operations of the conventional curtain 1 to fold and unfold the drape 13. Furthermore, due to the pull segments 221 placed on opposite sides of the drape 13, when one of the pull segments 221 is not wound or unwound smoothly, the conventional curtain 1 will tilt and become unbalanced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a curtain that can eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a curtain including first and second rails, a drape, at least one curtain control device, and two cord guiding devices.

The second rail is spaced apart from the first rail. The drape is disposed between the first and second rails. The curtain control device is mounted on the first rail for folding upwardly and unfolding downwardly the drape, and includes two cords and a cord controlling unit that provides a winding force for the cords. Each of the cords has a pull segment coupled to the second rail and extending through the first rail and the drape. The cord guiding devices are mounted on the first rail. Each of the cord guiding devices includes a guiding wheel unit for the pull segment of one of the cords to wind thereover, and a guide rod for the pull segment of said one of the cords to abut against. The guide rod is disposed between the guiding wheel unit and the cord controlling unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional curtain;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the conventional curtain for illustrating a curtain control device;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the conventional curtain for illustrating a relation between the curtain control device and a cord guiding device;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a curtain according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the first preferred embodiment for illustrating a relation between a curtain control device and a cord guiding device;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view for illustrating the cord guiding device of the first preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view for illustrating a cord guiding device of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the first preferred embodiment of a curtain 3 according to the present invention includes: a first rail 31 extending along an elongated direction, a second rail 32 spaced apart from the first rail 31, a drape 33 disposed between the first rail 31 and the second rail 32, two curtain control devices 4 mounted on the first rail 31 for folding upwardly and unfolding downwardly the drape 33, and two cord guiding devices 5 mounted on the first rail 31 and spaced apart from each other and having the curtain control devices 4 interposed therebetween.

The first rail 31 includes two parallel sidewalls 311 and a bottom wall 312 extending horizontally along a length direction of the first rail 31 and interconnecting the sidewalls 311. The bottom wall 312 is formed with two first passage holes 313 (only one is shown in FIG. 6) spaced apart from each other and respectively adjacent to two longitudinally opposed ends of the first rail 31. The configuration of the second rail 32 is not limited. In this embodiment, the second rail 32 is an aluminum strip that has substantially the same size as the first rail 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the second rail 32 is disposed below the first rail 31, but this arrangement may be reversed to dispose the second rail 32 above the first rail 31.

In this embodiment, the drape 33 has top and bottom ends respectively mounted below the first rail 31 and above the second rail 32, and are formed with two rows of second passage holes 331 (only one row of the second passage holes 331 are shown in FIG. 6), each row of which is aligned with the corresponding first passage hole 313 of the first rail 31. The drape 33 may have a honeycomb configuration as exemplified in FIG. 4 or a pleated configuration shown in FIG. 1 among other forms, but should not be limited to what is disclosed herein. In other words, as long as the drape 33 can collapse or expand when the distance between the first and second rails 31, 32 changes, the drape 33 is suitable for use with the present invention.

Each of the curtain control devices 4 includes two cords 42 and a cord controlling unit 41 that provides a winding force for the cords 42. Each of the cords 42 has a pull segment 421 that extends along the length direction of the first rail 31, and that is coupled to the second rail 32 and that extends through the first rail 31 and the drape 33. The cord controlling unit 41 includes two cord winding wheels 411 for winding the cords 42 respectively, and an S-shaped elastic reel 412 mounted on the cord winding wheels 411 for providing a biasing force to lift the cords 42.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, each of the cord guiding devices 5 includes a guiding wheel unit 50, a wheel holder 51, a guide rod 52 and a cord-encircling rod 53. The wheel holder 51 is mounted on the first rail 31 and includes a base wall 511, two parallel upstanding holder walls 513 disposed along a direction parallel to the length direction of the first rail 31, and interconnected by the base wall 511. Each of the holder walls 513 is formed with an engaging groove 514.

The guide rod 52 and the cord-encircling rod 53 are mounted on the wheel holder 51, the guide rod 52 extends along a direction transverse to the length direction of the first rail 31, and the cord-encircling rod 53 is U-shaped and includes an encircling section 531 that extends above and along an edge of the corresponding first passage hole 313 of the first rail 31. Each guiding wheel unit 50 includes a first guiding wheel 54 and a second guiding wheel 55 connected coaxially to the first guiding wheel 54. The first guiding wheel 54 includes a first shaft 541 mounted on one of the holder walls 513 of the wheel holder 51, and two spaced apart first annular discs 542 protruding radially from the first shaft 541. The first shaft 541 includes a first mounting section 543 rotatably received in the engaging groove 514 of said one of the holder walls 513, and is formed with an insert hole 544 that opens toward the second guiding wheel 55. The second guiding wheel 55 is rotatably connected to the first guiding wheel 54 and includes a second shaft 551 mounted on the other one of the holder walls 513 of the wheel holder 51, and two second annular discs 552 radially protruding from the second shaft 551. The second shaft 551 includes a second mounting section 553 that is rotatably received in the engaging groove 514 of the other one of the holder walls 513, and is provided with an insert segment 554 that is inserted rotatably into the insert hole 544 of the first guiding wheel 54.

During assembly, the pull segments 421 of the cords 42 of each of the curtain control devices 4 are extended to the respective first and second guiding wheels 54, 55 disposed at two opposite sides of the first rail 31, and abut against the bottom ends of the respective guide rods 52. The pull segments 421 of the cords 42 of the curtain control devices 4 are respectively wound over the surfaces of the first shafts 541 of the first guiding wheels 54 and the surfaces of the second shafts 551 of the second guiding wheels 55. After the pull segments 421 are guided by the corresponding cord-encircling rods 53 to extend through the first passage holes 313 of the first rail 31 and the second passages holes 331 of the drape 33, they are finally connected to the bottom rail 32 (see FIG. 4).

With reference to FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, after assembly, the total weight of the drape 33 and the bottom rail 32 is counter-balanced by the force of the elastic reels 412 of the curtain control devices 4. In other words, the length of the drape 33 will not change when no external force is applied thereto. To adjust the length of the drape 33, the bottom rail 32 is simply pulled downward or pushed upward.

When the curtain 3 is to be placed at a desired position, the drape 33 is operated by the cord controlling units 41. Each cord 42 of each cord controlling device 4 abuts against the bottom side of the guide rod 52 of the corresponding cord guiding device 5. In addition, the cords 42 of each of the cord controlling devices 4 are respectively wound on the first guiding wheel 54 of one of the cord guiding devices 5 and the second guiding wheel 55 of the other cord guiding device 5. The aforementioned design prevents each pull segment 421 of the cords 42 from abutting against a top surface of the corresponding guide rod 52 and from draping downward directly from the corresponding guide rod 52. The provision of the guiding wheel units 50 of the cord guiding devices 5 in the present invention can alleviate the problem of hindering smooth operations of the drape encountered by the prior art due to the extending angle or direction of the cord 22 when passing over the guiding rod 142 in the prior art. The curtain 3 according to the present invention can operate with improved smoothness and balancing effect to fold and unfold the drape 33 evenly. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the design of the guiding wheel unit 50 is not limited to having the first guiding wheel 54 and second guiding wheel 55, meaning that the number of guiding wheels may be increased or decreased depending on the requirements of the curtain 3 for a convenient assembly.

Referring to FIG. 8, the second preferred embodiment of a curtain 3 (see FIG. 4) according to the present invention differs from the first preferred embodiment in the structure of the guiding wheel unit 50. The guiding wheel unit 50 includes a first guiding wheel 54 and a second guiding wheel 55. The first guiding wheel 54 has a first shaft 541 mountable on a holder wall 513 of the wheel holder 51, and two first annular discs 542 radially projecting from the first shaft 541. The second guiding wheel 55 includes a tubular body 555 sleeved around on the first shaft 541 of the first guiding wheel 54, and two second annular discs 552 protruding radially from the tubular body 555. Smooth folding and unfolding of the drape 33 (see FIG. 4) by the winding of the cords 42 on the guiding wheel unit 50 of this embodiment, is still achieved.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A curtain comprising: a first rail; a second rail spaced apart from said first rail; a drape disposed between said first and second rails; at least one curtain control device mounted on said first rail for folding upwardly and unfolding downwardly said drape, and including two cords and a cord controlling unit that provides a winding force for said cords, each of said cords having a pull segment coupled to said second rail and extending through said first rail and said drape; and two cord guiding devices mounted on said first rail, each of said cord guiding devices including a guiding wheel unit for said pull segment of one of said cords to wind thereover, and a guide rod for said pull segment of said one of said cords to abut against, said guide rod being disposed between said guiding wheel unit and said cord controlling unit.
 2. The curtain as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least two of said curtain control devices.
 3. The curtain as claimed in claim 2, wherein said guiding wheel unit of each of said cord guiding devices includes a first guiding wheel and a second guiding wheel connected coaxially to said first guiding wheel.
 4. The curtain as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said cord guiding devices further includes a wheel holder mounted on said first rail, said wheel holder having two holder walls disposed along a direction parallel to a length direction of said first rail, said first and second guiding wheels being disposed between and held by said holder walls.
 5. The curtain as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first guiding wheel of said guiding wheel unit includes a first shaft mounted on one of said holder walls of said wheel holder, and two first annular discs protruding radially from said first shaft, said first shaft defining an insert hole that opens towards said second guiding wheel, said second guiding wheel including a second shaft that is mounted on the other one of said holder walls of said wheel holder, and two second annular discs that protrudes radially from said second shaft, said second shaft including an insert segment that extends into said insert hole of said first guiding wheel.
 6. The curtain as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said holder walls of said wheel holder is formed with an engaging groove, said first shaft of said first guiding wheel including a first mounting section rotatably received in said engaging groove of said one of said holder walls, said second shaft of said second guiding wheel including a second mounting section rotatably received in said engaging groove of said other one of said holder walls.
 7. The curtain as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first guiding wheel of said guiding wheel unit includes a first shaft mounted on and extending between said holder walls of said wheel holder, and two first annular discs protruding radially from said first shaft, said second guiding wheel including a tubular body sleeved around on said first shaft of said first guiding wheel, and two second annular discs protruding radially from said tubular body.
 8. The curtain as claimed in claim 4, wherein said guide rod of each of said cord guiding devices is mounted on said wheel holder and extends along a direction transverse to the length direction of said first rail.
 9. The curtain as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first rail is formed with two first passage holes for said pull segments of said two cords of each of said curtain control devices to respectively extend therethrough, each of said cord guiding devices further including a cord-encircling rod mounted on said wheel holder, said cord-encircling rod including an encircling section that extends above a corresponding one of said first passage holes.
 10. The curtain as claimed in claim 9, wherein said cord controlling unit of each of said curtain control devices includes two cord winding wheels for winding said cords respectively, and an elastic reel mounted on said cord winding wheels for providing a biasing force to lift said cords. 